Virginia Hosts Syracuse Looking For 7th Win in a Row

The Virginia Cavaliers (10-2 SU, 7-5 ATS) look for their seventh straight win when they host the Syracuse Orange (9-4 SU, 6-7 ATS) on Monday night in ACC action. Virginia has won four of the last five head-to-head meetings but Syracuse was victorious in the most recent matchup, downing the Cavaliers 63-55 last January.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

Virginia opened this contest as a 6-point favorite and the total was set at a modest 129 before creeping up to 131.5. The Cavaliers have covered 13 of their last 19 dating back to last season. The underdog Orange have covered their last two by a margin of 19 points in a pair of double-digit victories.

Syracuse News & Notes

With a relatively veteran crew, Syracuse relies heavily on its starters and just six players on the roster average more than 10 minutes per game. In fact, the jump from the sixth-most used player to the seventh is considerable, a drop-off of more than 10 minutes from 21.2 to 9.8.

Sophomore forward Quincy Guerrier has taken perhaps the biggest leap among ACC players this season, hiking his scoring average by exactly 10 points per game to 16.9.

The Orange enter this game against No. 13 Virginia having played only two ranked teams, but they’re coming off a convincing 78-60 thrashing of 16th-ranked Virginia Tech on Saturday, led by Guerrier’s 20 points. 

Virginia News & Notes

Tony Bennett’s gritty Cavaliers sit atop the ACC standings and are undefeated in conference play in six games while ranking sixth in the country in opponent points per game.

The Cavs squeaked past Georgia Tech 64-62 on Saturday for their sixth consecutive win and their first in that streak by fewer than nine points.

Leading the way for Virginia is senior Sam Hauser, who tops the squad in scoring (14.5 ppg), rebounding and minutes. Fellow senior Jay Huff averages 13.3 points per game and is second in the ACC at 2.5 blocks. 

Betting Pick: Virginia -6

Virginia and its sixth-ranked defense only get better as the season progresses. The Cavs have held the Orange to an average of just 50 points in their last three matchups. Virginia by double digits Monday night.